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Alice Cooper & Suzi Ouatro at Olympia

My first reaction to the 1975 Alice Cooper Show was, I don't need to view any more nightmares, thanks but no thanks. But the experience actually turned out to be quite enjoyable.

Alice apparently tired of his old image and has been working on his new show and band for some time now. He uses his musicians almost exlusively now for their musical ability, as opposed to their level of charisma. Featured artists included Detroit's own Steve Hunter (formerly of DETROIT and Lou Reed), and Dick Wagner (formerly of Frost) on guitars. The band played hard and electric, driving rock and roll in the Motor City tradition.

Also featured were four dancers, actors, harmony singers and quick change artists, all of whom remained nameless. Costuming was elaborate, with everything from a giant black widow spider to a 12-foot tall laser-eyed cyclops.

One interesting effect in the show was a huge movie screen background cut into vertical strips, about 4" wide, so that people could easily jump through the imagery. The tune "Welcome to My ightmare" began with a movie of Alice stumbling around in a graveyard. He comes upon a neon gravestone with his name on it, whereupon Alice flips and begins smashing the stone as the four dancers appear, forcing Alice into a coffin which they nail shut. The camera angle changes to a straight-on shot of the coffin, and you see Alice's fist and head breaking through the coffin as he breaks through the movie screen onto the stage. Alice's screen image folds up behind him, and the dancers, still on the screen, carry on with the show never missing a step, alternating back and forth between screen and reality.

The amount time and work necessary to produce the show must have been enormous, what with the intricate choreography, acting, set and costuming changes with each tune. Is Alice trying to convince us that he is a serious performer? Will we get to be forty years old with Alice hosting a prime-time variety show? (Roll Over Ed Sullivan.)

Shows like this usually come without music good enough to stand on it own. But the Cooper show synthesized good jams with eccentric, intriguing theatricality. Alice, while obviously trying to be commercial, does confront a lot of American standards, moral and otherwise, and his fans know it. It's part of his appeal. (I really liked the old Cooper Christmas show where the grand finale had Santa Claus being beat up in front of the American flag.) The very young crowd, incidentally loved every minute of it.

Suzi Quatro, another Detroiter like Alice, opened the show, coming off waves of European success and a hit record, "Your Mama Won't Like Me." Complete with a cover story in Rolling Stone, Suzi's press outdid her live show by far.

The act is largely unimaginative. The Themes of teenage sex don't have to be crass, but the leather, grunts and grease presentation just didn't make it. Suzi will be around for a while, and could eventually come up with something worthwhile. At least having a woman in front of all those amps is a health image for distribution.

(Originally published in the Ann Arbor Sun, April 25th-May 9th, 1975)